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Dr. Brandt Flexitone BB Cream Review & Swatches

Having been a long time user and fan of Korean BB Creams I’ve very pleased they have finally entered the US market. Actually, technically, I’m both pleased and disappointed.

The formula has under gone some vast changes in the transition from the Eastern to Western market. It is understandable though on some levels. There is room for adjustment in the formula as well since our market isn’t as interested in the whitening abilities of skincare products as a dominate Asia market would be.

Unfortunately, one of the things that is unforgivable is that formulas introduced have morphed and become so far removed from the original intent of a BB Cream that really, the only thing we are seeing at this point is a BB that acts more as a tinted moisturizer more than anything else.

Needless to say they have originally started out as one product but ended up adjusting to suit many different needs. Formulas in Asia tend to cover a wide spectrum of skin concerns such as concealing, producing flawless skin, whitening, brightening, anti-aging, and more….

Versus a lighter, sheerer formula here in the US that promises very few of the things listed above.

Many Asian BB Creams do promise to provide a perfect shade and some deliver if you’re lucky. Self adjusting BB Creams aren’t a wave of the future, they are fairly common in the Korean market and many do offer not only flawless coverage but a perfect fitted coverage.

Offering a single shade of a base product and expecting it to match woman (and mankind) is a rather huge promise but I have a few BB Creams in my stash that have actually taken the task to hand and succeeded.

Dr. Brandt Felxitone BB Cream is available in a single shade and promises instant tone-blend technology that adjusts and matches your own skin tone perfectly. Mmm…..blushes, glosses, and more have tackled this issue in the past and in many cases have failed. It’s a big promise to place a single shade foundation product on the market and tell your consumer it’ll “match their skin tone perfectly”. Of course, this is traditional as far as BB Creams go since most are available in two shades at best in the Asian market however, it is something that is ranted and argued about a fair bit here in the US.

I’m hear to say, Dr. Brandt got it right.

Yes, it blends flawlessly into skin providing a true shade on most any skin tone. I tried it on very fair friends, medium ones, and darker and I had success with all of them. The BB Cream adjusts accordingly and perfectly matches their skin tone. On paler skin it DID come across more beige than it should have but the product runs sheerer so it might just be safe to say it’ll work for your tone but do be aware if you are paler, you’ll want to swatch first in store and not purchase online.

Note: I didn’t document my test swatches with the BB Cream other than on my own arm. I toted it around with me in my bag and just rubbed it into several different friend’s skins to test out. Sadly, I didn’t have a camera at the time while doing this. It would be us at dinner and I’d pull out the BB Cream and say, “Hey, can I get your arm a sec?”

The match technology works flawlessly on an array of skin tones, count me quite impressed. The product starts off as a gray BB Cream and warms up immediately to match the tone it is applied to. Gray BB Creams are fairly common as they are typically ones associated with a whitening formula so you can liken the shade of this to Jadilla J or Skin79 BB Creams at first application.

This provides an SPF 30 for sun protection and promises to even out skin tone, perfect skin, hydrate it, and help smooth the look of fine liners. A quick glance at the ingredients shows they throw “anti-aging” around a little too loosely as this might blur the look of fine lines but won’t technically treat them all that well.

The formula is a looser cream base. I say loose because it has a knack for separating, please be sure to shake prior to use. I blame the SPF in the mix as it is probably separately fairly quickly from the pigment thus creating a watery, creamy almost separated base. I imagine if you don’t use it daily and allow it to sit around for a month or two you’ll come back to a fairly separated formula that won’t be too appetizing to use without a good shake up.

Coverage is sheer to medium here. This doesn’t quite offer the coverage that a traditional Asian BB Cream would but it does hold its own. It blends beautifully and has the ability to cover minor issues while evening out skin tone and perfecting it over all. I believe it’ll perform well on redness, conceal minor skin issues, and just overall create a flawless finish for makeup.

It does ease my dullness and provides a very healthy look to my skin but doesn’t necessarily whiten or brighten up my face. Coverage wears well without oxidizing and producing a fairly long wear time of about five hours before minor fading occurs. The hydrating feel is great on my drier skin and should be suitable for oily or combo skin as well since it doesn’t leave behind a greasy, oily, or dewy finish. It simply melts into the skin with a weightless finish.

Overall, Dr. Brandt Flexitone BB Cream doesn’t cover all aspects of an Asian BB Cream but it comes as close as you’d get should you purchase a BB Cream in Korea. The self adjusting nature of the product is one of the biggest perks and draw ins here as it does seem to successfully create the perfect shade. Not having to think or worry about which shade to choose or worry about whether the one or two shades offered in BB Cream might not be your shade is a great relief. The formula provides fairly nice coverage as well as a comfortable wear. I worry about the separation issues though as I imagine if I don’t use it often enough the formula will become unusable fairly quickly…!

The smaller size (1oz) and the larger price tag ($39) are disappointing particularly with far better options in the Eastern market for far less…but it is keeping with the Western market and isn’t competitively low or too high, it’s just about right in what we are seeing with BB Cream releases at the moment here in the US.

I like this one.

It almost got a Muse Approval but I do worry about the separating formula a little bit…!

lol at karaoke too! “hey, before you go on stage can I get your arm a sec?” hehe ;-D My pleasure! Glad you liked it. It’s worth looking into, fairly interesting product if you are shopping US bb creams at the moment.

Thanks so much for your review. I have been waiting to try this until I heard from you. Its sounds fairly positive but I am concerned about the avobenzone use the as the sun protection. I usually can’t wear it without a reaction. I sure was hoping that this had all physical ingredients for sun protection. Bummer….

I think I finally figured out why American BB creams don’t compare to Korean ones. It comes down to the texture preference. Most of my Asian clients want a thick cream, no matter their skin type. And they want to layer. A moisturizing toner, light lotion, thick moisturizer, then SPF. My American clients don’t want to feel anything on their skin. Even the American BB creams are too thick for many of them.

You aren’t helping me here. I do not need another bb cream. My favorite ebay seller opened up their own website with the same great shipping times and reasonable prices. I have oh i dunno like 5 to try. I want to try this one because the “good” reviews indicate its like a bb-lite. Good bb features with out the heaviness which I want for summer. Oy vey. I Want it. Thanks for the review!

This is one that I want to try. I really like a lot of Dr. Brandt’s products. I used to use his entire line before the economy took a downward.

I still use his V-Zone Neck Cream, and I’m trying a lip product now called Lineless Lines No More for lips. It’s a filler and volumizer. I haven’t used it long enough to tell if it’s a keeper.

I used to us Dr. Brandt’s tinted sunscreen and you had to shake that up before use as well. That was one of the drawbacks of that one for me so it may also be a deterrant for this one but I still may give it a whirl.
Thanks for the review!

Great comparison review! I didn’t really feel the need to try any BB Creams from the Western market so far, but this one sounds great! 🙂 I hope its available in Sephora Canada so I can test it out myself

HI Muse, I have dr brandt’s bb cream and I LOVE it, I have a med olive tone and i have a couple of spots on my face that i am trying to lighted so i have to use SPF daily but i don’t like to put so much stuff on my face. This is perfect because it’s easy-breezy all in one and just like one of the other people said it’s bb-light, no heavy cakey feel on my face. My friend who is “white” introduced me to it and i couldn’t believe it matched my skin tone and hers too. I feel like i am going to save money and time b/c i’m NOT buying so many products. Just wanted to say “YOU” got it right 🙂 and now i am a fan of the Muse too!!!

aw SHUCKS thanks alicia ;-D I’m so glad it worked for you! It actually proved really great at matching all the tones I tried it on! I was impressed. It’s a little sheer but still manages to even out skin tone perfectly. So happy to hear your success story and thanks for commenting and making my day!

hi…thanks for the detailed review. I’ve been wanting to try this out but was unsure. I have combo skin and sometimes through out the day, when the makeup settles, my face becomes shiny and oily. Do you know if this product does that? Also, that’s great that it does match any skin tone since I am asian and have yellow undertones. A lot of times, it’s hard to find the perfect color match.

What foundation do you think is best for somewhat oily skin and will stay matte the whole day and not rub off onto clothing? Thanks!

I wouldn’t buy a BB cream without checking your reviews first so before I purchased this I went straight to your website and I’m confident now I’ll be happy with it. Quite excited as it’s my first BB cream. Will let you know how it goes! 😀

have you ever heard of kevin beautymaker? (of course you have, duh!) they made a bb cream that does the shade matching concept as well, it’s called all in one bb cream. unfortunately i, too, have other brands of bb creams that i wanted to try and so cannot attest to its claim. but! the shade matching concept works well enough. but i have regular asian beige complexion so it probably worked like they’re expecting it to… actually this KB bb cream also reminds me of the almay smart shade because they come out off white but then starts turning to whatever shade you are.

toks, it might not adjust correctly on a deeper skin tone. You might want to swatch in shop (believe ulta carries it) prior to purchasing. If not Maybelline makes deeper shades of BB Cream and quite a few other brands lately 🙂